The United Four Wheel Drive Associations are sending their Legislative Advocate to Washington DC in early February to discuss the pending Surface Transportation bill that eliminates the dedicated funding mechanism, upon which the entire Recreational Trails Program (RTP) relies.  Without dedicated funding, administrating entities do not have to fund the RTP Program.  While the Program would still exist in name, it is extremely doubtful that adequate funding would be supplied without Federal direction.

DENVER, CO (January 19) -- Recreation advocates today filed papers to join a lawsuit about motorized vehicle access to the Rico-West Dolores area in southwest Colorado managed by the San Juan National Forest.  The lawsuit, filed in December 2011 by the Colorado Chapter of the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, seeks to have specific trails declared off limits to motorized use.  The Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition (COHVCO), Trails Preservation Alliance, San Juan Trail Riders, Public Access Preservation Association and BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) today filed a motion to intervene and attain formal party status in the case.  The Colorado groups and the BlueRibbon Coalition have previously worked together in responding to similar threats in Colorado and Utah.  Collectively, the Recreation Groups have defended recreational access in dozens of lawsuits filed by preservationists across the country.

BOISE, ID (Jan 17, 2012) -- The BlueRibbon Coalition today filed papers seeking to enter a lawsuit threatening snowmobiling on lands throughout the National Forest System. The suit claims that numerous Idaho Forests have illegally relied on a "snowmobile exemption" in the 2005 Forest Service Travel Management Rule in allowing continuing snowmobile access.  BlueRibbon Coalition is a nonprofit, grassroots organization headquartered in Pocatello, Idaho, which has participated for more than two decades on the administrative, legislative and legal fronts defending reasonable access to public lands.

Nitto Tire Expects Great Results at This Year’s Ultra4 Sanctioned King of the Hammers Race by Showcasing Specially Designed Trail Grappler® Race Tires and Six Sponsored Race Teams

Cypress, Calif. – Jan. 17, 2011 – Nitto Tire, a leading producer of high performance tires is prepping for a big win at this year’s toughest desert race, King of the Hammers: The Ultimate Desert Race (KOH).  Nitto Tire has put together some of the top winning drivers into six officially sponsored teams to tackle this extreme test of strategy, speed and guts.  To further their edge in this competition, Nitto Tire has also developed a new, non-DOT tire specifically for this event called the 40x13.50R17 Trail Grappler K-spec®.  The first tire designed for speed and rock climbing – two essential tests known in the KOH – the 40x13.50R17 Trail Grappler K-spec combines these two attributes in one performance package making it an industry first.